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L. CALDERA & L. MONTU. PIANOFORTE.

Patented Mar. 10, 1868.

2 Sheets- Sheet 2.

L. CALDERA & L. MONTU.

NANO-FORTE.

Patented Mar. 10

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L. CALDERA AND L. MONTU, OF.TURIN, ITALY.

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T0 WHOM IT MAY COIGERN:

Be it known that we, L. CALDERA and L. Momo, of Turin, in the Kingdom of Italy, have invented a certain 'new and improved `Piano-Forte, called Malo-Piano; and we hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exnct description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

One of the most common objections made 'to the piano is that it lacks fullness in its tones. The sole Instrument by which the strings are enabled to prolong their vibrati'ons consists et presentoof the loud or footpedal, which can be used at pleasure by the. pianist. By this means the duration of the waves of sound can be prolonged only during the "forte" passagcs in a piece of music; whilst. during the pianc' passages-that is to say, thepassages in whichkthe sound-should have but little intensity-the sounds obtained are muflied, weak, and possessed of little fullness or duration.

The principal feature of our invention consists in`an improvement which renders the tones of the piano sweet and prolonged, resemhling those Produced by a bow or by a. wind-instrument. In order to attain this result, vwe have oonceivcd the idea of'combining with each pair of strings a little metallic hammer, covered with felt, Dnd. provided with an elnstic or .sprngohandle` Weimpart to this 'little hammer a very rapid oscillatory movemeng'by means of clock-work, or equivalent mechnnism, which aetuates a wave-faceci cam, by which the 'oscillations are produced. The oscillations 'of the little hammer follow each other at intervals 'of time shorter than the duration of Waves of sound, andconsequently n..conti nnous andeeveli soundis Produced:I

To enabie others tfo understand and use our invention, we will now proceed to describe the manner in which the same is or may be carried into efiect by reference 'to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lrepresents a side-elevation of'our improved mechanism applied to thevordinary mechanism ofa piano.

Figura 2 is a front view of the samei' The key a of the key-board lifts the little cylindrical rod b, and consequently the lover c,.n'lch turns on its pivot d. This movement `of the l'ever c raises the hopper e, which throws forward the hammernpon the string g. During this time the metal red lz, 'monnte'd'on the axis of the lever'c; is'brought in conta'ct with the shank of'the felted damper j, which rests on^ the string, 'andforces it to move, on its axs k, away from the string, which is thns permitted to vibrate. This arrangement of mechanismis new, and devised by us. The reaction of the springs lm'sufiices to bring all the parts back to their normalposition. The rod n has also, during the same time, caused the lever o to turn upon its centre, and, consequently, by drawing back the other arm' of the lever p, to. disengage the little-hammer g, wbichwe have before mentioned. This little hummer, which is aetuated by aspiral spring in thebarrel A, immediately commences to vibrnte with great rapidity; and 4thns are Produced sounds. prolonge'd and sweet, like those produced by a bow. w

The organization of the clock-work movement will be readily understood. The barrel A actuates the conical fusee B, through the m`edium of the'belt C. The toothed wheel D, mounted on the arbor of the fusee, imparts motion to the pinion E, and, consequently, to the wheel F, the pinion G, and the wave-faced cam H. The projecting parts of this cam successively strike against 'the roller I, thns imparting a rapid oscillatory movement to the little hummer g. The fly-wheel J and the regulator K serve only .to regulate-the m'ovement. The rollers L and M rolling against the axis of the onm render its movement less diflicult, by preventing friction to a certain extent. All the little oscillstory hsmnierspare fixted'on the same arbor, N,'which-ext.on(ls the length of the piano. The movement of the arborisfacilitated by supportin'g it ontwo pointed scrows O P.

In order to wind up the spparatus, a key may be fitted on the shank Q, or, preferably, fa. crsnk may be employed, which is placed outside of the piano-case, and'communicates with the wheel R, `through the medium of a Vaucanson, or band-Chain, or other suitable mechanism. This method of vib'rating the strings through the medium o f the hammers g, gives rise 'to a new line ofepins r, a' new curve of the wrest-plan'k, and a new line for the strikngof the strings by the hammerf. i

Figura 3 represcnts these curves, which are constructed as follcrws:

A straight line, b' z',is drawn, which is divided into as many equal parts as there are strings to the pianofor instanee, five octaves or sixty-one strings. At all the points of division perpendiculars'ar erected, which serve to determine the two cnrves. On the perpendicular at b' we take a'b', equal toone-fourtlh of the actual distance between the wrest-plank and the point at which the large hammers strike, and b' l', equ'al to three-fourths of the same distance. The points a' and Z'will be the respectiye points of the two cnr'ves. As the form of the Wrestplank for very heavy orvei'y sharp ton'es is the same, we Will consider a' Z' as the ninth string of=the key-board. In order to obtain theldistance corresponding to'the twenty-fifth string, we take e' d', equal to'o'ne-fifth of the length of Z', and e'. m', eqnal to four-fifths of a' Z'. The points d' and m' will be 4the respective points of the two curves. We obtain in a like manner the other points of the curves, which are then tracedv through all the points. By drawing a line, 'c"l', parallel tob' 74', and 0 ni. 004:` mili. below, we have the line of striking of the small hammers q.

Having now descrihcd our in'vention, and the mhnner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, what we einim, and desire to secure by Letters atent, s-

1; The method of prolongng the vib'rations of the strings of a. piano, snhstontialljr in the manner and by the means herein shown and described. I

2. The combination, with the ordinary striking-hammer, damper, and other parts of the action of a. piano, of an nuxiliai'y oscillatory or'vihratory hummer :md clock-work, 'or equivalent mechanism, for iniparting the desii'ed motion to the same, snbstantially intho manncr and for the purposes herein shown and deseribed.

In test-imony whei'eof, we have signed our names to this specifieation before two subscribing witnesses.

' L. OLDER'A,

.L. MONTU. Witnesses O. LAroUD, .Mms HAND. 

